Can i have a complete rhinoplasty done under only local anestesia and sedation?

Anesthesia : It is possible but most patients feel much better after a general anesthetic. The newer agents used wear off very quickly and patients typically go home after one or two hours recovery. The local anesthetics usually use IV sedation which can take much longer to wear off... Sometimes it takes several days to feel normal again. Why are you interested in local anesthesia?

Depends: This depends on the providers of care and on the patient. Experienced providers can use this technique effectively and avoid general anesthesia. The success also depends somewhat on the patient.

No: There can be bleeding with surgery, anesthesia protects you from breathing in the blood. Imagine having a nose bleed lying flat on your back.

Possible: Some surgeons do rhinoplasty under local with sedation. I prefer general anesthesia for rhinoplasty to protect the patient from inhaling blood or secretions during surgery. The breathing tube used in general anesthesia protects the lungs better, thereby avoiding aspiration pneumonia from occurring.

Yes: The procedure is usually done this way. Rarely is a full general anesthetic with intubation used for this procedure.